Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-24

lock. The space within the vault
was about eight feet square, and con-
tanned q safe on either side, and hird
at back. Two of these had been forced
and an attempt made on the third, out
this, for some reason, had been given up.
Evidently, however, enough had been
taken from the other two safes to repay
the burglars amply for their labor. But
though they had taken much, they had
left little or nothing to indicate who hey
were. They had been there and ney
had gone away again. So much w., GER
tain and no more than so much. This, st
all events, was the view of the matter
taken by the police after g cursory in.
spection of the ground; and the reports
OF the officers in plain clothes who had
been sent to collect news amongst the
crowd, was to the effect that no supicious
characters had been seen about the place
that morning. The whole thing seemed
almost like magic. The janitor's story
was the only tangible point connected
with it, and even that might be an in
vention. As the police officer in charge
contemplated the scene, he could not re-
press reluctant admission that the rogues
had done their work well.
"There'S only one man in New York, ''he
remarked to his companion, "who has the
eyes to see through this milestone, and
the sooner he gets to work on it The bet
ter. And even he will find it the toughest
job he has ever tackled"
The parsonage thus alluded to was al
ready on his way to the bank, having been
apprised of the catastrophe some minutes
before. Meanwhile, kilograms were
sent the officers and directors OF the bank,
telling them what had happened, and re-
questing their immediate attendance, with
view of their throwing whataver light
they could upon the matter. And here,
Tor the time being, ali action necessarily
paused; and the crowd, finding that no
new developments were to be looked for,
gradually dispersed, until the street re-
sumed somewhat its wonted aspect.
CHAPTER III.
Between 10 and IL O'Clock O new figure
arrived on the scene. This was tall and
well-built man of perhaps thirty-ive
years of age, with face expressive OF
quiet but penetrating intelligence and a
bearing that denoted power, self-Cou1-
dence and reserve. He was neatly and
unObtrusively dressed and looked like =
prosperous man of business of the higher
class.
His appearance was not specially noted
by the bystanders, but the police officers
on duty greeted him with manifest salts
faction. And wei! they might, for If any
man could find his way through the laby-
rinth of mysteries presented for solution,
it was he. Unassuming as he seemed,
this was New York's greatest detective,
Inspector Byrnes.
TnEnapfnr hold fay mn npfoi
private conversation with the officer in
charge, with q view to putting himself in
possession of whatever was thus far
known of the affair. Then, after asking
whether everything in the bank was in
the same condition as when first discov-
ered, and receiving an affirmative reply,
he began his investigation. In this ne
was assisted by no one; he preferred to
depend upon himself and grapple with
the problem alone.
AS already stated, there were two doors
on the Blocker street side of the bailding
and nice piate-glass windows, admitting
a view both of the bank room and of the
apartments of the directors. The detec-
tive's first attention was given to the
doors, but there were no marks on the
locks of either of them to show that they
udu DCC1 ldllD ClCu WILL ~ was
therefore, that they had been opened
either with the true keys made for them
or with limitations of identical pattern.
Further inquiry must show which of these
alternatives was the more likely to be
correct The inspector now opened the
bank door and stood on the tesselated
stone pavement of the main Office.
Everything here appeared in its usual
,r,;tb ~ = oIy 20 4ba
windows, the detective found himself fac
ing the long screen or partition which
separated the clerks from the depositors.
This partition was Of paneled and polished
wood, surmounted by framed sheets of
plate glass. The whole was rather higher
than q mans head. 1t extended in 8
direction parallel with Blocker street,
from the partition wall of the directors
apartments, at the eastern end of the
building, to within few yards Of the
front or Broadway end. Here it made q
rectangular turn, which carried it to the
main partition wall on the north. Mid
way in this portion was the doorway Civ
ing access to the clerks desk room.
There was nothing in this outer region
in the least unusual. A broom stood in O
corner near The door with small heap of
dust beside it.; feather buster and
cloth lay on the window sill hard by.
These objects attracted the attention of
the detective, whose eyes nothing es-
capped. and he made q mental note of
them, for the evidence of the pstrolman,
who had seen supposed jsnitor clean
ing up the office in the early morning, had
not as yet been made known.
Tue detective now turned to the right
and entered the rooms reserved for the
president and directors. Nothing had
been disturbed there. The apartments
were IN precisely the same state in which
they had been left when the bank was
closed the Saturday afternoon previous.
Having satisfied himself of this, he re-
traced his steps to the outer Office.
The burglars must have entered the
building by the side door and proceeded
westward toward Broadway, gaining
access to the clerks room by the opening
il the Broadway end of the screen. How
theyAad cqntriyed to do this without
being seen from the street was of course
g matter of conjectdfeS They had doubt
less timed the patrolme1; whose beat
carried him past the bank, and at that
early hour on Sunday morning there
would be very few other persons on the
street. Moreover, the glare OF the light
reflected from the plateglass surfaces
would TO some extent Conceal them from
passes by.
The detective here, pushed open the
door of thssSlerk's EnDom and vent in.
Dlrectlyyacing Nm, as heyistood, was
the vaEattf5$nd Dsw me frst OBLIGATIONS OF
the Hsrk taas1ad BeeHTd66e sppes redri
The ponderous doors of theMault wgsG
be closed out of busins sEhdnrs,
but they now stood open, IeveSiin9the
He advanced End subiecoed the